California's homeless population has skyrocketed since the state adopted housing policies that critics say enable drug users and fail to treat the mentally ill.
President Joe Biden's Department of Housing and Urban Development in July announced its investment in so-called Housing First programs, which subsidize rent costs for those living on the street but do not impose drug or mental health treatment requirements.
"In practice, actually, this looks a lot more like 'Housing Only' than 'Housing First.'".
Californians have soured on Housing First since it formally became the state's strategy to combat homelessness in 2016, Eide said.
After the strategy's adoption, the number of unsheltered homeless people in California grew, prompting Eide to call Housing First a "Failed strategy."
Beyond its adoption of California's homelessness policies, the Biden administration has embraced so-called harm reduction, a public health theory that argues governments should minimize the hazards associated with drug use instead of eradicating it.
Months earlier, in April, liberal California lawmakers blocked bills to strengthen punishments for fentanyl dealers, arguing that the state should pursue harm reduction instead. Published under: Biden Administration , California , Feature , Harm Reduction , Homelessness , Housing and Urban Development.
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